When buying a water butt, you might also want to consider investing in a diverter. Here are some frequently asked questions about diverters that might help you decide if this is the right option for you.

WHAT DOES A DIVERTER DO?

A diverter does just that – it diverts water from your downpipe in to your water butt. When your water butt is full, the excess water will go back down the drainpipe to prevent the water butt from overflowing.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

A diverter is fitted in to your downpipe which diverts the rainwater into the water butt via a connecting hose. Some diverters (GutterMates) also have a filter in them, so that the rainwater is filtered of leaves etc before reaching your water butt.

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF HAVING A DIVERTER INSTALLED?

You won’t have to worry about your water butt overflowing – a diverter will automatically send rainwater down the drain once the butt is full. A diverter can be installed at ground level, meaning that you won’t have to get up a ladder to clean your guttering out. A diverter is quick and easy to clean out – it should take 30 seconds or less!

CAN I FIT IT MYSELF? IS IT EASY?

Yes, it’s fairly easy - you have to cut a section of your drainpipe out to replace it with the diverter. You also need to drill a hole in our oak barrel water butts to attach a connecting hose.

SHOULD I CHOOSE A DIVERTER WITH A FILTER?

Filtering the rainwater will protect your soakaway, butt, tank, drain or full rainwater harvesting system from expensive and time-consuming blockages. Clear gutters will help protect roof joists from wet rot. You might want the water to be filtered for a specific reason, for example, for use in your pond.

OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE PURCHASING:

The hose length that the diverter is supplied with – check it’s long enough to go from your favoured position in the downpipe to your water butt.

The shape and circumference of your downpipe – check the diverter suits it.

The material of your downpipe – our diverters are not suitable for cast iron pipes.

The colour of your guttering – we have brown, black or white diverters if you’d like to match the colour to your guttering.

We stock the following diverters:

Harcostar Universal Rain Trap Diverter

GutterMate Rainwater Diverter & Filter in brown, black and white. We also sell a Fine Mesh Insert for the GutterMates, which gives additional filtration for specific uses, for example, if you’d like to use the water for washing your car or in a pressure washer.

Advantages of the GutterMate:

The GutterMate has additional advantages in that you can divert water to two places and both are filtered (this is the only diverter that you can do this with). The filter can be inspected without dismantling the diverter. Also available is a square to round adaptor for square downpipes.

Still need help?

A GutterMate video is available here.

Or you can contact Outdoor Outlet on 01327 317441 or email sales@outdooroutlet.co.uk with your questions and we'll do our best to help.